We use cookies to give you the best experience and to help improve our website

Find out more about how we use cookies

Choose whether to use cookies:

No thanks That's fine

Skip to main content

Jisc

You are in:

  • News
  • Stepping up to the plate

Utilities:

  • Search the Jisc website
    Clear search results

Search the Jisc website
Clear search results

Navigation:

News

Stepping up to the plate

15 January 2020

We are looking for 50 edtech startups with solutions to some of the biggest challenges in education.

Those meeting robust criteria will form the Founding 50 of Jisc’s step up programme, run in partnership with Emerge Education.  

Step up is a membership-based programme that assesses emerging startups against key sector requirements, encouraging institutions and edtech startups to work together with confidence. Step up will provide a direct access point for institutional decision-makers when deciding which companies to work with.

Between now and February, Jisc is looking for applicants of the highest quality to join the nine accepted into the programme at launch in May 2019. They should have a robust business model that offers innovative and proven solutions to problems facing education providers, particularly around student experience.

Jisc has worked with senior policy makers to ensure that step up supports the ambitions of the government's edtech strategy (pdf) to help create a vibrant edtech business sector in the UK. The team has worked with institutional decision makers to co-create this initiative - tackling concerns around engaging with startups and providing opportunities for institutions to engage with the best on offer.

Sue Attewell, head of edtech at Jisc, says:

“We’re looking to find 50 of the best and most innovative post-16 edtech startups that will interest and excite our members.

“Our members will find it much easier to partner with startups when they know sector-validated due diligence has been carried out and its solution is procurement ready. They need access to a set of reliable, vetted startups that are of the highest quality, and cover the range of the student experience. This is what we want to build with the Founding 50.

“Step up is creating a vibrant community of edtech startups that are ready and keen to work with institutions.

“By nurturing these new businesses, Jisc hopes to make technologies that are shaping the fourth industrial revolution more accessible to the sector, helping to build a corresponding Education 4.0 that responds to these shifts.“

The deadline for registering interest in the Founding 50 is 28 February 2020. Please email Eva Stirling for further information.

Share this

Most read
  • FE experts give top tips for teaching in lockdown 2021
  • Beyond the technology: teaching students in a virtual world
  • The complicated business of keeping books clean of COVID-19
  • Cambridge University Press and Jisc reach UK-wide flexible open access read and publish agreement
  • The top 20 edtech startups ready to address the education sector’s biggest challenges
Related
  • What the Edtech?! Episode two: creating a successful startup
  • The top 20 edtech startups ready to address the education sector’s biggest challenges
  • Ten fledgling edtech businesses in the running for startup support
  • Rev up your startup
  • Step up 'health check' to help trusted edtech startups stand out from the crowd

Share this

You may also like…

R&D

Take part in our step up programme

Building a community of innovators supporting long-term change in UK education. Part of our edtech ...
R&D

The edtech hotlist

A trusted, curated list of the best and most innovative edtech startups that can help you ...

You are in:

  • News
  • Stepping up to the plate

Give feedback

Areas

  • Connectivity
  • Cyber security
  • Cloud
  • Data and analytics
  • Libraries, learning resources and research
  • Student experience
  • Trust and identity
  • Advice and guidance

Explore

  • Guides
  • Training
  • Consultancy
  • Events
  • R&D

Useful

  • About
  • Membership
  • Get involved
  • News
  • Jobs

Get in touch

  • Contact us
  • Sign up to our newsletter
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • Modern slavery
  • Accessibility